There's no other way to say it other than Nebraska's defense had a rough outing in this past Saturday's 39-32 win over Kansas.

NU gave up nearly 600 yards of total offense to the Jayhawks and this week the job won't get any easier when they face off against a talented Iowa State offense.

The Cyclones are led by one of the Big 12's top quarterback-wide receiver combinations in Bret Meyer and Todd Blythe. Through five games Meyer has passed for 1,186 yards, while Blythe has hauled in 19 catches for 257 yards and five touchdowns.

At Tuesday's press conference, NU head coach Bill Callahan talked about the challenge of defending Blythe and Meyer this weekend in Ames.

"I do have great respect for Blythe, on how they single-match him up, as well as (senior wide receiver) Jon Davis, and all those guys," Callahan said. "It's an excellent receiving corps.

"They're big-bodied wide receivers. They have excellent speed. They all play the ball well in flight. They're 'hands' catchers, you don't see any 'body' catchers out there, cradling the ball. They are aggressively clutching the football, putting it away, making yards after the catch. They're really well-versed, and that's impressive."

This will be the third year Callahan will see this talented duo in action. He said that Meyer's development over that time has really impressed him.

"I think Bret Meyer is outstanding in the last two years I've had to see him," Callahan said. "He's an efficient guy. He's got tremendous confidence in his receiving corps. He's got good protection, and he's got a good feel and instinct for what they're trying to get done on offense.

"They've got a good system that they feature well, and he executes it very confidently."